If you have been told you need a spinal fusion, you may have another option. This page compares traditional spinal fusion with Spinal Regenaplasty, the signature procedure at NextGen Spine Center, so you can understand the differences before you decide.
What is spinal fusion?
Spinal fusion permanently joins two or more vertebrae so they no longer move. The surgeon typically places screws, rods or cages to hold the segment in place while bone grows across it. Fusion stops motion at the painful level, but it also changes how the rest of the spine moves: the levels above and below the fusion take on extra stress, which can accelerate wear at those levels over time. This is known as adjacent segment disease.
What is Spinal Regenaplasty?
Spinal Regenaplasty is NextGen Spine Center’s signature procedure: a truly minimally invasive procedure that corrects the source of back or neck pain, combined with regenerative biologics that support the body’s natural healing — without fusion, hardware, or a hospital stay.
Instead of locking the spine in place, Regenaplasty removes only what is pressing on the nerve — disc material, bone spurs or thickened tissue — through a small opening, and preserves the spine’s natural motion. Learn more about Spinal Regenaplasty.
Side-by-side comparison
| Traditional spinal fusion | Spinal Regenaplasty | |
|---|---|---|
| Goal | Stop motion at the painful segment | Remove what is compressing the nerve and support natural healing |
| Spinal motion | Permanently eliminated at the fused level | Preserved |
| Implanted hardware | Usually screws, rods or cages | None |
| Incision | Larger, with muscle disruption | Small opening |
| Anesthesia | Usually general anesthesia | Typically local anesthesia with IV sedation |
| Hospital stay | Often required | No hospital stay |
| Effect on neighboring levels | Added stress can accelerate wear above and below the fusion | Natural load sharing is maintained |
| Regenerative component | None | Regenerative biologics to support the body’s natural healing |
Who may be a candidate for Regenaplasty instead of fusion?
Many patients who are told they need a fusion have pain caused by something pressing on a nerve, such as a herniated disc, spinal stenosis, foraminal stenosis, bone spurs or degenerative disc disease. These problems can often be corrected without fusing the spine.
Fusion is not always necessary for spondylolisthesis either. Patients with grade 1 or grade 2 spondylolisthesis whose spine shows no abnormal movement on flexion and extension testing may still be candidates for our minimally invasive procedures.
When fusion may still be the right choice
Fusion has a role for some patients, such as those with significant spinal instability, a higher-grade slip, or a segment that moves abnormally on flexion and extension testing. Your evaluation, including a review of your imaging, determines which approach fits your spine. If you have already had a fusion that did not relieve your pain, see our pages on failed back surgery syndrome and spinal hardware removal.
Get a second opinion before you fuse
Fusion is permanent, so it is worth getting a second opinion first. Send us your MRI for a free MRI review — no referral needed — and Dr. Craig R. Wolff, who has 27 years of experience in minimally invasive spine surgery, will let you know whether Spinal Regenaplasty may be an option for you.